Aston Villa vs Man Utd LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Scott McTominay scores dramatic late winner
Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United: McTominay came off the bench as Erik ten Hag’s side closed the gap on the top four with a huge win at Villa Park
Super-sub Scott McTominay scored a late winner as Manchester United continued to inch up the Premier League table with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.
Erik ten Hag’s United are sixth on 41 points after their third consecutive victory, five points behind fifth-placed Villa who would have climbed to fourth spot with a win.
Rasmus Hojlund scored his fifth goal in five games to put United ahead in the 17th minute, knocking in Harry Maguire’s header from close range through keeper Emi Martinez’s legs.
United keeper Andre Onana produced several huge saves to keep Villa off the scoresheet until Douglas Luiz levelled in the 67th minute. But Scotland’s McTominay came on in the 73rd minute to score the winner in the 86th, leaping to head a superb cross from Diogo Dalot past Martinez.
Relive all the action from Aston Villa vs Manchester United below:
Emery - ‘This is a special, key match’
The Spaniard will be looking for a response from his players after two defeats in their last three games but he is also keen to see the fans play their part in helping his team get a vital win against top-four rivals.
“It is a new challenge, a new challenge for us and for our supporters. We all have to use our positive energy - each individual fan has to support us with their energy,” he said ahead of the match.
“We have to connect with them being demanding and successful, being demanding on the pitch.
“It is going to be a difficult match because they need to get points against us. They are facing us trying to get to us in the table, being closer to us.
“We are thinking of course there is 38 matches, but this match is for six points. This is a special, key match. We want to create a great atmosphere with our supporters.”
Ten Hag full of praise for Emery
Unai Emery has earned huge plaudits for the work he has done to elevate Villa into a team challenging for the Champions League and United will almost certainly need to overhaul them if they are to finish in the top four.
Ten Hag is an admirer of Emery, saying at his pre-match press conference: “I think it is very good how he developed this team and it’s very clear how they want to play, in and out of possession.
“I think the players know exactly what they have to do, their jobs and how they have to cooperate with each other. They are really a team, they absolutely have weapons in their team, so we have to play our maximum levels to get the right result.”
Ollie Watkins keen to pass Aston Villa’s Premier League goals record
Ollie Watkins has targeted Aston Villa’s Premier League goals record after passing his half-century.
The striker became just the third Villa player to reach 50 goals in the Premier League after scoring against Newcastle last month.
Only Dwight Yorke (60) and Gabby Agbonlahor (74) have scored more for Villa and – ahead of Sunday’s visit of Manchester United – Watkins, with 59 goals overall, wants to chase them down.
“When I signed my new contract, that was one of my main goals – to break that, to win something with the club, to push on and try to achieve something,” said the England striker, who has 51 top-flight goals after scoring in the 5-0 win at Sheffield United last week.
“I feel like I’m improving as a player under this manager and with this team.
Read more of the Englishman’s thoughts below:
Ollie Watkins keen to pass Aston Villa’s Premier League goals record
Watkins has 51 goals for Aston Villa in the top flight.
Aston Villa vs Man Utd line-ups
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Lenglet, Carlos, Moreno; Luiz, Kamara, McGinn; Ramsey, Bailey, Watkins
Man Utd XI: Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Varane, Shaw; Mainoo, Casemiro; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Team news coming shortly
We’re expecting team news any minute now - are we in for any surprises?
Aston Villa vs Manchester United betting tips
Aston Villa welcome Manchester United to Villa Park in the second Premier League game on Sunday (4.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Unai Emery’s side are fourth in the table as they eye a place in next season’s edition of the Champions League. They endured the disappointment of crashing out of the FA Cup in midweek, but now turn their attention back to the top flight.
A win for the visitors this weekend would move United to within five points of Villa, which would be a massive boost for Erik ten Hag’s men as they aim to keep their Champions League hopes alive for the stretch run.
Here are our predictions using the best Premier League odds.
Aston Villa vs Manchester United predictions: Premier League betting tips, odds and free bets
Two Champions League contenders will go head-to-head in a crunch clash at Villa Park on Sunday
Villa looking to bounce back
Aston Villa, meanwhile, failed to back up their thumping 5-0 win against Sheffield United last time out against Chelsea in their FA Cup replay at Villa Park.
It was a performance that eased the pressure on Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino but one that also marked back-to-back home defeats for Unai Emery’s men following their 3-1 loss against Newcastle at the end of January.
Chelsea ease pressure on Mauricio Pochettino with 3-1 win at Aston Villa
Aston Villa 1-3 Chelsea: Gallagher, Jackson and Fernandez scored to send Chelsea into the fifth round
Last time out for United
Sixth in the table, unbeaten in five games. These have not traditionally been the things Manchester United would boast about. They have achieved far more too often to mention. Now, however, this may represent the high point of a troubled campaign; perhaps, for the often beleaguered Erik ten Hag, the springboard that will rescue it.
Winning the battle for sixth, and dislodging West Ham, puts United in their joint best position of the season after their joint biggest victory of the campaign. Besides beating Aston Villa, they had not seen off anyone currently in the top nine, so West Ham ranks among their prize scalps. And if that five-game sequence includes FA Cup ties against lower-league Wigan and Newport and three matches when they have lost leads, they are at least undefeated in 2024 and acquiring some momentum.
Perhaps most encouragingly, United were propelled onwards by men who could be scoring for them well into the 2030s. This was their future against their past, with their former manager David Moyes overcome as Rasmus Hojlund scored on his 21st birthday and Alejandro Garnacho, still a teenager, delivered a double. A picture of three rookies – with Kobbie Mainoo the other – celebrating sat together on an advertising hoarding may prove the afternoon’s abiding image.
Can United build on their great win against West Ham last week?
Manchester United’s season reaches new high thanks to Alejandro Garnacho
Manchester United 3-0 West Ham United: Alejandro Garnacho scored twice after Rasmus Hojlund had earlier struck in a dominant win that lifted the hosts into the top six
How Manchester United could line up
Predicted Manchester United XI: Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Mainoo, Casemiro; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Early Manchester United team news
The visitors, meanwhile, will have Lisandro Martinez unavailable for eight weeks after the centre-back injured his knee against West Ham. The Argentine had just returned from another long-term foot injury but could still feature before the end of the season after it was confirmed he had not damaged his ACL as initially feared.
“It is a setback of course,” Ten Hag said on Thursday. “Licha was returning, you see his contribution to the team when he is playing, apart from the technical skills also the mentality.
“It is a big setback for Licha, he is very disappointed but he is a fighter. He will be back stronger and will play by the end of the season.”
Elsewhere, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial and Mason Mount are all out.
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